In a world where women have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi Tessaro face two very different fates: one in the palace, the other in prison.

Serina has been groomed her whole life to become a Grace – someone to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining, subjugated example of the perfect woman. But when her headstrong and rebellious younger sister, Nomi, catches the heir’s eye, it’s Serina who takes the fall for the dangerous secret that Nomi has been hiding.

Now trapped in a life she never wanted, Nomi has only one way to save Serina: surrender to her role as a Grace until she can use her position to release her sister. This is easier said than done. A traitor walks the halls of the palace, and deception lurks in every corner. But Serina is running out of time, imprisoned on an island where she must fight to the death to survive and one wrong move could cost her everything.

My review

Grace and Fury is one of those books that caught me by surprise. I don’t get taken by surprise by books. I can usually see a plot twist coming a mile away. I can usually see when an author is foreshadowing. I can usually see who the bad guy is in the book. I can usually call who is going to die. But not in Grace and Fury. The author did a fantastic job at keeping me in the dark with everything I stated above. And I loved it!!!

Grace and Fury starts off with Serina being chosen to go to Bellaqua to compete with other girls to become a Grace. Serina has worked her entire life to become a Grace. That dream is shattered when Serina’s younger sister, Nomi, is chosen instead. It is further shattered when Serina takes the blame for something that Nomi did. That something has Serina shipped off to a prison island. There she is forced to fight to the death for food. Back on the mainland, Nomi decides to embrace her role as a Grace. She does that with the hopes that she will get Serina off the island and back with her. But Nomi is soon caught up in a dangerous plot. A plot that could end everything that she has worked so hard for.

I couldn’t believe the injustices that the women in that society endured. They weren’t allowed to go to school. They were dominated by the men in their lives. So, I loved it when Nomi bucked the rules. Learning to read was her way of thumbing her nose a the society that was keeping her down. Even as rebellious as she was, she was loyal to Serina. Using her position as a Grace, she did try to get her sister off that island. I was as surprised as she was when everything went down the way it did.

I didn’t like Serina, at first. She had trained to be a Grace since she was a child and had no clue how the real world was. Being a Grace meant that her family would never go hungry. She also loved her sister. My turning from not liking her to liking her happened when she took the fall for Nomi. She could have taken Nomi down with her. And when she got to the island. Instead of having a breakdown, she did what she had to do to survive.

There are several twists and turns in the plotline. I wasn’t ready for any of them. I thought that this was going to be one of those typical YA fantasy book that would be heavy on the romance and teen angst but would have no twists. Yeah, I was wrong. This book had more twists than a mountain road.

The fantasy angle of the book was fantastic. Set in an Italian-like country, the author did fantastic world building. The world was 3D, as was the character.

The YA angle I didn’t feel. Yes, Serina and Nomi were in their late teens but it didn’t read like it. If I didn’t know their ages, I would have placed Serina in her mid 20’s and Nomi as the teenager. This book also didn’t have much angst that most YA books. Which was refreshing.

I do want to touch upon the amazing girl power vibe that was going on in this book. It was fantastic and I loved it!!!

The end of Grace and Fury was insane. Everything happened at once. I was surprised at what happened with Nomi. Very surprised. Surprised to the point that I had to wake up BK and tell him about it. He wasn’t impressed…lol. I will say that the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Which means that I need to read book 2 when it comes out.

Onto why I gave Grace and Fury a 4-star rating. I loved how I was taken surprised time and again in the book. I liked Nomi and her rebellious ways. I loved the strong girl power vibe throughout the book. I didn’t like how the women were treated in the book. I didn’t like Serina at first. I also didn’t like the cliffhanger.

What I liked about Grace and Fury (to recap):

A) Being taken surprise by the different elements of the book

B) Nomi

C) Girl Power

What I disliked about Grace and Fury (to recap):

A) How the women were treated in the book

B) Serina, the first half of the book

C) The cliffhanger

I would give Grace and Fury an Older Teen rating. There is no sex. There is kissing (that’s about it). There is violence, sometimes graphic. There is no language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread Grace and Fury. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for allowing me to read and review Grace and Fury.

What are you currently reading?What did you recently finish reading?What do you think you’ll read next?

Again, not too much going on here. WoW rolled out its pre-patch for BFA last week and I have been a little preoccupied…lol. On another note, I will be on vacation next week. So no WWWWednesday until August 8th.

What I am currently reading:

(click on the picture for Amazon link)

In a world where women have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi Tessaro face two very different fates: one in the palace, the other in prison.

Serina has been groomed her whole life to become a Grace – someone to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining, subjugated example of the perfect woman. But when her headstrong and rebellious younger sister, Nomi, catches the heir’s eye, it’s Serina who takes the fall for the dangerous secret that Nomi has been hiding.

Now trapped in a life she never wanted, Nomi has only one way to save Serina: surrender to her role as a Grace until she can use her position to release her sister. This is easier said than done. A traitor walks the halls of the palace, and deception lurks in every corner. But Serina is running out of time, imprisoned on an island where she must fight to the death to survive and one wrong move could cost her everything.

I am freaking LOVING this book. I started it last night and I had to force myself to put it down. Publication date is July 31st, so be on the lookout for my review after that date.

What I finished reading:

(click on the picture for Amazon link)

Escaping to Earth changed Zola’s life forever. She found happiness on a foreign planet. And she found truths from an unlikely ally.

Zola has never wanted to claim her throne…

Until now.

Because now, the people of her planet need her.

And she’s tired of running.

It won’t be easy taking on an old and controlling group of power-hungry dictators, though. And she’s going to need all the help she can get to claim her crown and prove the Court has been wrongly guiding the galaxy for centuries.

Zola was once an innocent marred by war.

This time, though, she’s not so innocent anymore.

This book was good but made me so mad. I wanted to smack a certain male character upside his head, several times, during the book. The Ascending will be published on August 13th, so be on the lookout for my review then.

What I am reading next (click on books for Amazon links):

The Middleman – I had this on here a couple of weeks ago. I ended up rearranging my review schedule. It got pushed back. So here’s to like it, I hope. Keep on the lookout for my review. This book will not be published until August 7th.

Sister of Mine: Again, another push back because of rearrangement of my review schedule. I am hoping that I like it. Be on the lookout for my review at some point in the near future.

Down With Love: I am very interested in reading this book. From the cover, it looks like it will be a sexy read but the blurb screams funny. So, we’ll see. It will not be published until August 7th, so be on the lookout for my review around that time.

Deliverers: I am stoked about reading this book. It is the last book in the Mud, Rock, Trees series, which I have reviewed from book 1. I have very high hopes for this book. Be on the lookout for my review in the near future.

The Raging Ones: I thought that the blurb for this book was interesting. Plus I liked the cover. It won’t be published until August 14th, so be on the lookout for my review then.

Bishop: Another hockey romance. They are a dime a dozen these days. But I have read and reviewed Sawyer Bennett books before and, for the most part, liked them. So I decided to give this one a try.

So that’s it. Be on the lookout for the reviews of all these books in the near future.

Like this:

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Wars. So here what I have read/are reading/will be reading. Also, I will let y’all know what has gone on in my life this past week.

My couple weeks off of not reviewing books was good for me. I am almost caught up with my backlog of reviews <woot, woot>. In my life, things are going ok. Still, summer vacation and trying to keep these kids occupied is making me want to pull out my hair. I have a Dr’s appt tomorrow to draw blood. I have Hashimoto’s Disease and my Dr needs to make sure my medication is working. So, I go to the vampire every 4-6 months. Yay, fun…lol.

Here’s what I have been up to reading-wise this past week:

What I am currently reading:

The Academy stole everything from Hades, their perfect assassin. Angry and leaving bodies in his wake, he finds two other ex-assassins doing the exact same thing.

Tyler and Shannon once killed for The Academy. Now they’re tracking and hunting down its scientists. So why is The Academy only after Hades?

Shannon will do whatever it takes to protect Tyler, even if it means teaming up with a former rival. While she seeks answers to her past, Tyler wants to learn the truth about the mysterious white room, which no one has ever seen except him.

As for Hades? He simply wants revenge.

They all need answers, even if it means returning to the organization where it all started.

I am super excited to be reading this book. Like fan girl excited. I had reviewed Project Pandoralast year and was blown away by it. So when I was approached to review Project Prometheus, I jumped on it. So far, it is living up to my expectation and beyond. My review will go live July 30th, so be on the lookout!!!

What I finished reading:

LOVE TAKES NO PRISONERS

Derryth MacClaren is on the run. Traveling under heavy guard, she has been sent from her castle home to avoid capture by the vicious nobleman known as the Wolf, who has vowed revenge against the Clan Kincaid, and any who support them. When a surprise attack leaves her vulnerable, Derryth ends up in the hands of an enemy warrior who claims her, with the Wolf’s blessing, as his prize. But her captor’s gentle words and touch seduce her heart—and body—completely…and when she discovers the tattoo on his arm that proves him to be the legendary, long-believed dead son of the murdered Laird of Kincaid, Derryth knows she must find a way to alter his fate—and her own.

Cull has no memory of his family or past—all he knows is the life of a warrior, trained to fight on behalf of the Scottish king. If he can help the king’s law officer of the North, the Wolf of Badenoch, defeat a rebellious faction of Highlanders, Cull will be met with untold riches beyond possessing beautiful, innocent Derryth. But now that she has informed him of who he really is—Cullen Braewick, the youngest son of the slain laird—he is torn. If Cull exacts revenge against the Wolf, who executed his father, he stands to lose the precious lass who he has come to love. What is he willing to sacrifice for Derryth to keep her safe…and in his arms?

I am a big fan of Scottish Historical Fiction. So, I was a little disappointed by this book. I had it built up in my head and it fell short of what I expected. My review will go live on July 31st. So, be on the lookout for it.

What do I think I will read next:

I know that this is a lot of books and I know I won’t get to all of them. But, I can hope…lol.

Snow: I should be banned from even looking at books when NetGalley sends out their Read Now emails. Because this is where I found this book. Honestly, I got the book because I liked the cover. I hope that the book is good too. Look for my review within the next couple of weeks.

Dark Alpha’s Hunger: I was approached by the publisher to review this book. It seems like a different shifter book. I mean, they are Alpha males who are assassins for Death and they go after Fae. But we’ll see. I have a high standard for shifter romances. The book won’t be published until August 7th. So be on the lookout for my review then.

Immortals’ Requiem: I am super excited to be reviewing this book. It is a zombie, vampire, shifter, supernatural book and I cannot wait to sink my teeth into it. Since I missed the publication date for the ARC (whoops), my review will be up within the next couple of weeks.

The first three books I will be definitely be getting too. The next 4 are iffy.

Sister of Mine: This was another Read Now email pick up. This book intrigued me because it explores a toxic relationship between two sisters. Look for my review to be out within the next couple of weeks.

The Middle-Man: Again, another Read Now email. And I don’t even like these types of books. Political suspense. I really should be banned from those emails. The book will not be published until August 7th. So be on the lookout for my review then.

Grace and Fury: I cannot wait to read this book!!!! I was so happy when I got approved for the review. The book will not be published until July 31st. So be on the lookout for my review at that time.

Eight Goodbyes: I was struck by the blurb of this book. It looks like a tear jerker. The book will not be published until September 5th. So be on the lookout for my review then.

So that’s it. Be on the lookout for the reviews of all these books in the near future.